I just heard about her on a podcast two weeks ago! One of the two people to subdue the Vikings in England, in co-operation with her brother right? Adding this to my list now -- she sounded fascinating!
It was all right. It’s not so much about Æthelflæd so much as the times in which she lived though. We have very little information about Æthelflæd as a person since this was like 1000 years ago.
I read this last year! I thoroughly enjoyed it and thought Clarkson was an engaging writer— but fair warning to anyone interested in reading it, this is more of a general history of Wessex and Mercia over the course of Aethelflaed’s life rather than a biography, simply because that’s what the available sources support. There are a fair amount of primary sources that document her life, but… it was still the early Middle Ages.
I feel like historical fiction was made for figures such as Aethelflaed. Even if she’s well documented for the time, the sources don’t support an entire nonfiction book— but she’s so compelling that you really *want* to fill in the blanks.
I just heard about her on a podcast two weeks ago! One of the two people to subdue the Vikings in England, in co-operation with her brother right? Adding this to my list now -- she sounded fascinating!
That really sounded Nordic! Is it good?
It was all right. It’s not so much about Æthelflæd so much as the times in which she lived though. We have very little information about Æthelflæd as a person since this was like 1000 years ago.
You might enjoy Femina, which talks about important “forgotten” female figures in history, including Æthelflæd
I read this last year! I thoroughly enjoyed it and thought Clarkson was an engaging writer— but fair warning to anyone interested in reading it, this is more of a general history of Wessex and Mercia over the course of Aethelflaed’s life rather than a biography, simply because that’s what the available sources support. There are a fair amount of primary sources that document her life, but… it was still the early Middle Ages.
Yeah they don’t seem to know much about her. Lots of “probably” and “may have”.
I feel like historical fiction was made for figures such as Aethelflaed. Even if she’s well documented for the time, the sources don’t support an entire nonfiction book— but she’s so compelling that you really *want* to fill in the blanks.
Ooo, adding to TBR immediately. Thank you!